A contentious August recess dramatically reshaped the debate, and lawmakers will return to work next week facing a landscape that even a conservative first-term senator in the minority party such as Corker has the opportunity to influence.

The Post catches up with Corker before his 24th and final public meeting earlier this week in Loudon and says that Corker comes across as a moderate on reform — willing to vote for a bill, but not one that greatly expands the role of government.

His view is summed up in a series of metaphors:

“There is a common ground,” Corker said Wednesday in an interview before his final town hall meeting. “It’s half a loaf, possibly, from the administration’s viewpoint. But what it does is take us way down the field.”